by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley
Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: Palmetto (1998)
Patrick: #2: Twilight (1998)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Dark City, Rounders, Phoenix
Patrick: Theme: ‘98 Noir
Patrick: Hey, 1998 was a pretty great year for neo-noir, wasn’t it? I’m a big Palmetto guy, mostly because the triptych of Chloe Sevigny, Gina Gershon, and Elisabeth Shue is basically my sexuality. I like a sweaty Florida noir and Palmetto is a good one. I’ve also really come to appreciate the 1998 geriatric noir Twilight way more than I did when it came out, probably because I’m closer to the age of the characters that I used to be, a sentence that depresses me so much to type that now I’m not sure I can attend this double.
Adam: I added Palmetto to my list of movies to watch for the first time this month. I’ve always wanted to see it (Shue!) but have never gotten around to it. I saw Twilight (1998) for a Reserved Seating last year and thought it was decent. I like that it’s so unique in its target audience and casting and I remember the movie being playful. This will be a fun night of neo-noir for sure.
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: Zero Effect (1998)
Adam: #2: Wild Things (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Can’t Hardly Wait, The Replacement Killers, Spice World
Adam: Theme: ‘98 Columbia Pictures
Adam: 1998 Columbia Pictures was okay. Let’s celebrate it! I think Zero Effect and Wild Things will play well together since they’re both darkly funny mysteries. P.S. For those who don’t know, Zero Effect was featured on one of our Friday Night Double Features podcasts a couple years back and because of that it’s a Linderground Cinemarink staple we play every year. It’s the movie equivalent of having your jersey hung from the rafters.
Patrick: We’ve done so many of these that I don’t remember programming Zero Effect in the past, much less rewatching it for a FNDF podcast! I love showing it every year, though, like it’s Wizard of Oz in the ‘80s. With the trailers and everything, this is a pretty kickass night at the movies. Can we get Bill Pullman to come out and introduce Wild Things?
Double Feature 3:
Patrick: #2: The Big Hit (1998)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Relax…It’s Just Sex, Armageddon, Almost Heroes
Patrick: Theme: Starring the Cast of Caught Up
Patrick: This is a cheat because really we’re just doing two Bokeem Woodbines, but I thought these two movies would be really fun together because they’re both super wild and over the top, though the second one is much more comedic. Is The Big Hit good? I don’t think I’ve seen it since the theater, and I don’t remember loving it then. Whatever, Bokeem Woodbine rules and Caught Up rules so hard that we could play almost anything after that and I would still be riding high.
Adam: Isn’t Caught Up the greatest thing ever? If you’re reading this and haven’t seen the trailer, do yourself a favor and check it out. The voiceover choice is fantastic. I saw The Big Hit opening weekend and remember it not delivering at all on what I expected or wanted but that was a long time ago so I’m curious to give it a revisit. Bokeem Woodbine’s the best so I’m glad we’re highlighting him tonight.
Double Feature 4:
Patrick: #1: Your Friends and Neighbors (1998)
Adam: #2: Happiness (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Clay Pigeons, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Opposite of Sex
Adam: Theme: ‘98 Dark Comedies
Adam: I haven’t seen either of these movies and don’t plan on getting to them before F This Movie Fest, but they should be represented since Happiness at least has a reputation of being a subversive masterpiece. I like a few Neil LaBute movies so maybe I should try Your Friends and Neighbors eventually. Is it more In the Company of Men or Nurse Betty?
Patrick: It’s more In the Company of Men. It’s probably my favorite of Neil LaBute’s movies, which is a pretty qualified recommendation. The cast is great and the young man in me responded to the cynicism and literate dialogue, but I suspect the older me has less patience for LaBute’s brand of nihilism. I feel similar to Todd Solondz, but still have to admit that Happiness is kind of a masterpiece. These are my two favorite movies from two auteurs I’ve more or less outgrown and I’m weirdly looking forward to the double.
Double Feature 5:
Patrick: #2: The Replacement Killers (1998)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Rush Hour, Mulan, Jackie Chan’s Who Am I?
Patrick: Theme: Chinese Imports
Patrick: I liked that period in the 1990s when American movies were really being influenced by Asian actors and filmmakers. I guess this is where it kind of peaked, with Chow Yun-Fat making his Hollywood debut in The Replacement Killers and Tsui Chark directing a JCVD movie. This was the year that Jackie Chan had his biggest American hit too! It felt like a time when we were really trying to learn from other filmmaking cultures. Now we just shove our bullshit down everyone else’s throats.
Adam: I have a love it or hate it relationship with Knock Off -- I usually hate it (which is saying something because I’m a huge JCVD guy) but there was one watch where I loved it and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. The Replacement Killers is by far the better movie and one I’d like to revisit since I’ve only seen it once so it will feel new to me. I love that you picked this as a theme. It was a great trend while it lasted.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: The Thin Red Line (1998)
Adam: #2: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Deep Impact, Armageddon, Antz, A Bug's Life
Adam: Theme: ‘98 Movie Showdowns
Adam: This is going to be a long, not fun evening but hopefully we’ll leave satisfied having seen two great war movies from 1998. I’ve always been more of a Saving Private Ryan guy than The Thin Red Line but that’s mostly because I’ve seen SPR more times. I plan on revisiting The Thin Red Line before F This Movie Fest and that might be the first time I’ve seen it since VHS rental back in 1999 (I liked it at the time). There sure were a lot of cases back in 1998 of two movies being released that shared similar premises, huh? P.S. A Bug’s Life isn’t my least favorite Pixar movie, but it’s the one I least want to revisit because bugs.
Patrick: Whoa, Doc, this is heavy. Of all the ‘98 movie showdowns, this is the one I’d probably want to watch the most because both movies are so good but seeing them back-to-back will be…a lot. I plan to revisit these in the next month and I’m curious how I’ll feel about both because Saving Private Ryan was a movie I liked less over time (I was snarkier back then) and The Thin Red Line was a movie I liked more, probably just because I was the kind who read Cracked when everyone else read MAD. Adult me will hopefully be able to appreciate them for the totally different movies from great directors they are.
Double Feature 7:
Patrick: #2: Dirty Work (1998)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Nil by Mouth, Bulworth, The Horse Whisperer, The Players Club
Patrick: Theme: Directed by Actors
Patrick: Finding a movie to pair with Very Bad Things was a challenge because that’s a lot of movie and usually leaves me feeling exhausted when I revisit it. Hopefully Dirty Work is the right choice because it’s not very challenging and it’s really short. Also, both movies have plot points centered on dead sex workers.
Adam: I love this one. I just revisited Very Bad Things this morning and wow is that a nasty little movie. I kind of admire that it’s a black comedy that seems to completely ignore that comedies are supposed to be funny. It’s just wall-to-wall darkness without humor. It’s an impressive debut for Peter Berg as a director. I’ve never seen Dirty Work, so this is a great excuse to finally check it out. Good stuff, yo.
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Kissing a Fool (1998)
Adam: #2: Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Mercury Rising, The Negotiator, U.S. Marshals, Bulls Championship Highlights
Adam: Theme: “What Up, Chicago!”
Adam: I’m so glad to have Kissing a Fool be a meme in my life. “What Up, Chicago!” is something I text to you (with a picture outside of Wrigley Field) whenever I see a movie at the nearby Music Box Theatre or Alamo Drafthouse and every time I do that it makes me want Kari Wuhrer…I mean to watch Kissing a Fool. I haven’t seen Blues Brothers 2000, but I might as well take the dive this way. P.S. I’m most excited about seeing Bulls “The Last Dance” highlights on the big screen. Also, no one will be admitted wearing a Utah Jazz jersey. Sorry, Greg Ostertag.
Patrick: Those texts crack me up every time I get them. It’s nice to find a third person who loves Kissing a Fool because it makes me and Doug feel less alone. I’ve never seen Blues Brothers 2000 either but it’s on my list for this month. It’s one of my last unseen Landis movies, but I’m not expecting very much at all.
Double Feature 9:
Patrick: #2: City of Angels (1998)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: There’s Something About Mary, She’s All That, Armageddon
Patrick: Theme: 1998 MTV Movie Awards “Best On-Screen Duo” Nominees
Patrick: This might be the double I see first this month because I love an onscreen duo, and I love both of these movies. I wish Brett Ratner wasn’t such a piece of shit because I did used to like his movies. I also wish Brad Silberling was still making stuff. It’s weird to me that City of Angels was nominated for an MTV movie award because that movie does not seem to be targeted at the MTV audience. Such is the power of “Iris,” I guess.
Adam: This was a solid category that year at the MTV Movie Awards. Rush Hour had aged well (even if Brett Ratner hasn’t) so it’ll be great to give it another watch with an audience in a theater. I don’t love City of Angels (it’s pretty good) but I’ll take any opportunity to see cinematic Dennis Franz that I can. He’s my hero. It’s why I’m slowly trying to age into his look. How am I doing?
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: Out of Sight (1998)
Adam: #2: How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Primary Colors, Sphere, Urban Legend
Adam: Theme: $37M to $39M Domestic Grossers
Adam: The theme is hyper specific, but this turned out to be a happy accident because it allowed me to pair two sexy 1998 movies. I haven’t seen How Stella Got Her Groove Back, but I should (I’m a fan of both Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs) and what better way to get to see it than on the back half of a double feature after one of my favorite movies of 1998?
Patrick: I haven’t seen Stella either! Funny that we missed a lot of the same 1998 movies. It seems criminal that Out of Sight grossed as much as fucking Sphere (another ‘98 movie I haven’t seen) when it’s so, so good, I know it’s pretty beloved (another ‘98 movie I haven’t seen) now but it deserved to be a big box office success just so we could get a bunch of George Clooney/Jennifer Lopez movies. Remember the Karen Sisco TV show with Carla Gugino? It’s like that character can only be played by women I love.
For 27 years I’ve been asking people if they know the secret to following someone, and not once has anyone ever gotten the reference.
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